Episode 1482 (29 July 1997)
Synopsis Pat is arranging a practice for the ladies darts team, and rounds up a few local men to play against. Barry agrees, but Roy is still being snobby about it. She asks Ricky but he says he will have to ask Bianca first. He then remembers he's forgotten to grab the mail that morning, and the building society statement is due, so if Bianca sees it she will realise that he didn't ever pay the £3,000 into the account. He rushes off home and sees the postman. He quizzes him on whether the mail contained a letter from the building society, but the postman says there are a lot of houses in the street! He goes to see Bianca on her stall and asks if there was any mail.. errr...any new stuff from the estate agents? Bianca is now thrilled that Ricky is taking an interest in the houses she's looking at! Ricky says they're only looking, remember, but she goes off telling everyone how Ricky is really getting interested in buying a house. He doesn't have time to search through her bag for the letters, so has to go back to the Arches nervously wondering. Ricky discusses his and Bianca's "secrets" discussion with Lenny. Lenny says he should have been honest from the start, it's always a bad idea to keep secrets. Ricky says Bianca must have secrets of her own. Lenny says defensively, "Like what?" Ricky replies rhetorically "You tell me!" Mark goes to the doctor for his tests, and meets a boring girl in the waiting room who rambles on interminably about AIDS and dying and the medication side-effects. It puts him off accepting the drugs, but the doctor can't understand why and says he doesn't have shares in the drugs you know, he's only saying what he thinks! Mark agrees and gets a prescription and has to go back in a month - or sooner if he has any unpleasant side-effects. He has to tell Pauline who is upset that he didn't tell her before, and he tries to explain in words of one syllable with moronic analogies what the drugs are for, and that he's not ill yet. George visits Peggy and she tells him that the letter from the Licensing Committee has really been the final straw and the Vic is too much for her, she wants to give up and accept his previous offer to come and live with him. George says that he doesn't believe her, and she only feels like this before her hospital tests, so he won't take advantage of this temporary weakness and he doesn't want her to agree to live with him like this. He also says that he is "owed a few favours" and will see what he can do at the council about the licence. Vanessa appears in the Vic to Barry's surprise, and he buys her a drink. She says she has a few hours free this evening, after 9pm and wondered if he would like to take her out? Barry can't believe his luck, and introduces her to Grant - "mein host" - when he's buying her drink. Grant jokes "you didn't know he could speak two languages did you?" Vanessa replies that there are quite a few things she knows about Barry actually. Grant replies, "really, so you live around here then?" Vanessa icily replies "Do you really want to know my address?" Grant makes a face to Barry and retreats quickly! Vanessa leaves and Roy returns. He is disappointed to have missed Vanessa as he's getting curious about her, and asks Grant what she's like - Grant says she's OK. Ricky goes home that evening and Bianca gets the mail out of her handbag, and there's the statement! She says let's see how much interest we've got now, and Ricky says, "why don't we NOT open it, and keep it as a surprise, then when we do decide on a house we may have more than we think." Amazingly, Bianca agrees, and says they will be able to buy carpets or something as well! It's the evening of the darts practice, and Mick has bet Pat £10 on the outcome, saying that he is pretty good, and is she chicken then? Tiffany didn't get into the team. Grant is in the men's team, and he gloats. Vanessa turns up and takes Barry away, but Roy misses seeing her, yet again. Kathy can't play as she has to go to Ted's. Phil is annoyed that she refused to go out and "enjoy herself" because of Ted. Kathy sees him, and Ted says he can't "abandon" Sarah, in case "anything happens to her". Kathy says it's ridiculous, and she's 16 and she can stay with Kathy. Ted says look what happened last time. Kathy says he can't keep Sarah locked away all her life, and he just doesn't want anyone else to get close to her. They argue with no resolution, and Sarah appears, so Ted has a go at her, saying that she should have talked to him. She says she tried, and he doesn't listen. He says she has to go, and Sarah asks "why?" Ted replies it's too late because he's bought the tickets. Kathy goes home and Phil asks how it went. When she says not very well, Phil is annoyed and says Ted is just a user, and that coffee table has more brain cells than him. Sarah arrives to whimper that Ted is being nasty to her again. Phil is furious and walks out. Kathy talks to Sarah for a few minutes and then says she will be back in a minute but has to talk to Phil first. Phil goes to the Vic and asks Tracy for a double vodka and tonic. She looks at him and hesitates, but he insists. He's just pouring the tonic in when Kathy appears at the door. She stands by the door and looks disappointed. Credits Main cast *Gillian Taylforth as Kathy *Steve McFadden as Phil *Brian Croucher as Ted *Ross Kemp as Grant *Barbara Windsor as Peggy *Martine McCutcheon as Tiffany *Patsy Palmer as Bianca *Sid Owen as Ricky *Lindsey Coulson as Carol *Daniela Denby-Ashe as Sarah *Todd Carty as Mark *Caroline Paterson as Ruth *Wendy Richard as Pauline *Paul Moriarty as George *Nadia Sawalha as Annie *Pam St. Clement as Pat *Tony Caunter as Roy *Shaun Williamson as Barry *Adele Salem as Vanessa *Shobu Kapoor as Gita *Desune Coleman as Lenny *Sylvester Williams as Mick *Nigel Hastings as Dr. Green *Hannah Waterman as Maria *Glen Cooper as Postman Category:Episode Category:1997 Episodes